Director, Preconstruction

About Nscale

Nscale is the GPU cloud engineered for AI. We provide cost-effective, high-performance infrastructure for AI start-ups and large enterprise customers. Nscale enables AI-focused companies to achieve superior results by reducing the complexity of AI development. Our GPU cloud bolsters technical capabilities and directly supports strategic business outcomes, including cost management, rapid innovation, and environmental responsibility.

At Nscale, our growing North American Preconstruction team plays a critical role in shaping the capital investment decisions behind our hyperscale and mission-critical data center portfolio.

We thrive on a culture of relentless innovation, ownership, and accountability, where every team member takes pride in their work and drives it with excellence and urgency. As an Nscaler, you'll build trust through openness and transparency, where everyone is inspired to do their best work. If you join our team, you'll be contributing to building the technology that powers the future.

About the Role

Nscale is seeking a hands-on Director, Preconstruction — a pivotal role within our growing North American Preconstruction team, reporting directly to the Vice President, Preconstruction. As Director, you will lead a team of Preconstruction Managers and Analysts, owning integrated CapEx Total Development Cost Proformas, integrated development cash flow, commitment, and cancellation cost ledgers, and planning-level constructability analysis across a portfolio of hyperscale and mission-critical data center projects.

This is a player-coach role: you will set the standard for technical excellence, develop your team, and drive process consistency. You will be a critical contributor in shaping the Preconstruction team while providing professional cost, schedule, risk, and constructability analysis for prospective developments shaping capital expenditure decisions across North America.

What You'll be Doing

Leadership & Development
- Directly manage, mentor, and develop a team of Preconstruction Managers and Analysts, including performance management, workload allocation, and career growth planning
- Build a high-performance team culture grounded in accountability, technical rigor, and continuous improvement
- Own complex scope, development cost, project-specific integrated delivery schedule coordination, and risk issues for active and prospective sites
- Support recruiting, onboarding, and succession planning within the Preconstruction group

Preconstruction Execution & Oversight
- Oversee delivery of site-specific CapEx proformas, conceptual estimates, GC RFP reviews, cost ledgers consisting of project-wide cash flow, commitment, and cancellation costs, and revenue-ready date forecasting across all active and prospective projects
- Review and approve team deliverables, including independent take-offs, cost estimates, and contractor pricing validations
- Lead or co-lead Prime Contractor Budget Reviews, directing budget review teams through cost and schedule analysis from conceptual phase through IGMP
- Ensure thorough review of Prime Contractor, Subcontractor, Colocation Provider, Power Entity, Building Design, and Consultant proposals for scope completeness, cost competitiveness, and schedule integrity
- Maintain and continuously improve the internal project cost database, incorporating lessons learned to keep estimating data accurate and market-competitive

Strategy & Business Planning
- Support the Vice President of Preconstruction and NA Data Center Infrastructure leadership in driving business plans for geographic and vertical market expansion across North America, ensuring capacity requirements align with hyperscale and wholesale customer needs
- Serve as an internal subject matter expert on total development cost, providing strategic guidance from conceptual phase through Construction Documents
- Partner with Commercial Management, Sales, Site Selection, Design/Engineering, Construction, Energy, Procurement, Project Controls, and Finance to ensure Preconstruction outputs support optimal capital deployment and revenue realization
- Contribute to project development strategy and early-stage decision-making on site characteristics, construction methodology, and cost optimization

Risk, Process & Standards
- Identify, escalate, and develop mitigation strategies for risks related to scope, schedule, procurement, labor availability, and market escalation across the team's portfolio
- Drive standardization of Preconstruction procedures, documentation, reporting, and estimating workflows across all projects and team members
- Lead adoption of digital tools, estimating technology, and process improvements within the team
- Contribute to departmental KPIs and operational standards set b